Creepy-Crawlies
by Cana-Puff
Summary: NarutoxShino - Why wouldn't Naruto kiss Shino, even though they'd been dating for months now? Perhaps it had something to do with the GOD DAMN BUGS which freaked Naruto out! Did Shino ever think of that! (Not that he could tell Shino that, of course. To spare his feelings).


**Creepy-crawlies**

"Naruto." A clatter as chopsticks were placed neatly on top of a bowl, despite the fact that it was still half full.

"Hmm?"

"We have been dating for precisely three and a half months now…"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you lean away when I try to kiss you? Because it is an important part of a relationship."

Naruto paused in the middle of eating and set his own chopsticks down. He propped his elbows on the table and stared across at Shino. It was true; Shino had asked him on a date one day during a mission. They'd just defeated the enemy and were cleaning their wounds when it seemed to have just popped out of Shino's mouth. Naruto had been stunned, of course, but accepted the invitation for ramen (because who was he to turn down a free meal?), and since then, it hadn't been spoken out loud (until Shino _just_ said it, that was), but they were dating.

Shino was a damn attractive guy, Naruto wasn't ashamed to admit it (in his head, anyway), and liked to have the honour of being titled "Shino's Boyfriend" (because really, no one else had ever held that title before). He came with his flaws, like his eyes which were sensitive to light, enough to require the sunglasses he has (though Naruto was sure the sunglasses were the cause for the sensitivity), and his aversion to talking. Naruto would make up for Shino's lack of conversation by talking more than usual (quite the feat), and he got to see Shino without his sunglasses on. There was just one more flaw. When Shino took off his sunglasses in front of Naruto for the second time, he saw one of Shino's destruction bugs casually crawl out from under his eyelid and buzz around his head to crawl into his ear.

He hadn't said anything at the time, but what he saw freaked him out. He didn't want to dump Shino because of his bugs, because he really, _really_ liked Shino, and it would be a huge blow to Shino's self-esteem if he was cast off for that reason (presumably. Naruto wasn't sure if normal human emotions applied to Shino). Yet, Naruto hadn't kissed him, and wouldn't let Shino take the initiative. It was because whenever they got close to a kiss, Naruto would think of the bugs inhabiting his body, and his mind would provide him with the horrible mental image of bugs crawling up Shino's throat, slithering onto his tongue, and buzzing down to join Naruto's tonsils.

Such graphic imagery would always make him recoil, and Shino's eyebrows would always quirk downwards slightly, but he would not question Naruto. Perhaps he was lucky that Shino didn't speak much. But it was inevitable that Shino would bring it up eventually.

He realised he'd been musing for too long on the matter that Shino was starting to fidget with his napkin.

"Well, I…" Naruto hesitated, scratching his head. How should he put this? He couldn't. Lie, he could lie! It might work out better than the alternative. "Well…" He was shit at thinking up lies. _I trust you, Brain, don't let me down_, he thought to himself. What came out, though, was… "I'm straight." Ah. What was the phrase? He had his foot jammed so far down his throat that it'll never come out? Sounded accurate. It had just slipped out! Of course Naruto didn't _mean_ it; he had agreed to go out with Shino after all. But the moment it "just slipped out", Shino had clammed up. Then the emotion left his face, as usual, leaving it blank.

"I understand." Shino stood up. Naruto panicked and held out a hand to try to stop him, even though Shino had already turned his back and started to retreat out of the restaurant they were visiting.

Naruto rummaged around in his pockets to pay for the meal, tossing the coins onto the table, before running after him. "Shino, wait, wait, wait!" He called out, but when he got outside the door, Shino had vanished. Naruto so dearly wished he had Byakugan, like Hinata, or his own Akamaru, to search for him. But there was no time to waste; the city was small enough, Naruto was sure he could find Shino eventually, but it would take a while, and he had better get started.

Shino was fleeing. He had never fled before. On missions, he would make tactical retreats. So this was a first for him (but then again, so was the situation he was put in). The only place which he really wanted to be at the moment was home, so that was where he went. He wasn't sure if Naruto was following or not, but it hardly mattered. He was able to stay calm walking up the front steps and through the door of the apartment he shared with Kiba, and got to his study.

Sitting down at the desk, he propped his elbows on the paper-laden surface and pushed the sunglasses he wore onto his forehead as he massaged the bridge of his nose. The corners of his eyes creased as his eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. Who was the bigger idiot here? What even was the situation? What does one do in this type of situation?

"Oi…" Came Kiba's voice from the door. "What happened to you? It's not like you to be like this…" He pattered into the room, followed by Akamaru, who whined at Shino's ankles.

"What do you mean?" Shino sat ramrod straight, fixing his glasses. "I was only looking at the desk. For marks, you know."

"Not that I don't think you're probably OCD enough to do that or anything, but you smell like you're about to burst into tears. That's what I meant, and Akamaru knows too."

Shino scowled an adjusted his sunglasses. "I don't cry, Kiba. I'm just feeling… stressed right now. Because… Mm." He felt Kiba's hand on his back, patting it.

"Wanna tell me about it? I'm a pretty empathetic guy, you know," He offered, grinning. Shino stared at him for a few seconds before deciding that he might as well. He wasn't used to talking about his feelings; telling Naruto how he felt was hard enough. But thinking about Naruto made his stomach clench and he nodded in decisiveness.

"Fine. Well… I told Naruto that I-…" This was going to be harder than he thought, Shino realised. The confession was difficult to do in front of Naruto, and was just has hard in front of Kiba. The Ninja in question waited patiently. "Don't tell Hinata, but I told Naruto that I liked him." There, confession out of the way. Kiba didn't even move when he heard, which was unexpected. On the other hand, he was very perceptive with emotions, so perhaps he already knew. Shino soldiered on, "That was over three months ago, and…" Kiba nodded to prompt him to continue. Akamaru's wet nose prodded his hand, and Shino put it on his head, rumpling up his fur.

"You guys had an argument?" Kiba guessed.

"Sort of, not quite." Shino wasn't entirely sure what to call it. It wasn't an argument… "I think it was a break-up… of sorts."

"What?! Why!"Kiba practically yelled at him. Shino looked down at the desk and traced a scratch with his finger, rolling the answer around in his head. It was stupid, it was all so stupid… So much so, that he didn't know how to handle the situation (which was really why he ended up with his face in his hands in his study).

"Why… I asked him why he never let me kiss him," He replied, faltering only slightly at 'kiss', "And he said… He said he was straight."

"I- uh?" Shino watched as Kiba let the answer sink in, and his face slowly tightened into a scowl. "You mean he _lead you on_?" His fangs jutted out over his bottom lip when he pulled it back in a snarl. Akamaru imitated him, growling and crouching down, ready to pounce. "I can't believe Naruto would do that! It's not like him! What a shithead!" Kiba marched out of the room, taking his bad temper and his dog with him. "Where is he?! I'll set things straight—Uh, set things right!"

"Just forget it, Kiba. I didn't tell you so that you could maul him," Shino pointed out.

"I don't care, I'm going to anyway!"

"Just don't worry about it," He sighed, "It's probably for the best this way. After all, two guys together aren't exactly condoned. Plus, if he's straight, it means Hinata stands a chance, and I don't have to deal with that guilt."

"Shino…" Kiba calmed slightly and held his arms out for a hug. Shino stared bemusedly at his arms, and Kiba let them fall back to his sides awkwardly. "Fine. You go back to your desk inspection or something, and don't let it bother you, okay?"

"…Fine." Shino shifted in his chair, turning it to face away from the door. Kiba and Akamaru left, and Shino knew that despite what he said, they'd still most likely go after Naruto, because they were really stubborn when it came to their friends. That thought made him smile internally, despite himself.

Naruto had no idea where Shino went (or where Shino lived, actually, or his search might have been easier) and was stuck sitting on a rooftop which overlooked most of the village, compiling a mental list of ways to rectify his mistake. So far, he had zero ideas. Maybe it was for the best. He was an idiot (and the mess up today was proof of that), and a jinchuuriki to boot. It was best, and safest, if Shino dated someone smarter, more on his level, and someone safer.

There was also the slightly more minor problem that he wasn't actually straight, and if he ever got together with another man, and Shino saw, he would not only see right through Naruto's (stupid) lie, but would probably be offended that Naruto had lied to him then got together with another guy. Plus, he had no idea who he could go to about the problem. Kakashi? He would probably be very unhelpful. He liked his students to work things out on their own. Sakura? She might well punch him for his stupidity. Plus there was the fact that nobody actually really knew about his relationship with Shino, so that made things more difficult.

Before he could think of anybody else, a shadow fell over him. "Naruto…" The shadow's owner growled ominously, and Naruto whipped around in alarm.

"Kiba! Akamaru…" He had the sinking feeling at the sight of them. Kiba must know what had happened. "What brings you here today?" But of course, that won't stop him from playing dumb until he was sure.

"You, and your shitty actions. Three months?! You dated Shino for three months! But you're _straight_?" God. Naruto groaned in his head and resisted the urge to bury it in his hands. So he made the biggest mistake ever, he knew that already. It just wasn't the mistake Kiba thought it was. On the other hand, now he was being presented with a way to rectify that mistake.

"…" That was harder than it sounded, though. He sat with his legs crossed, hunched over like a scolded child. "I guess I should start by saying… I lied…" It took him a lot of effort to suppress the nervous laugh that threatened to bubble up. Kiba gaped at him in disbelief.

"You had better explain yourself before I sock you," He threatened, fist balled and raised in the air. Naruto sagged further and fiddled with his sandals.

"I like Shino, a lot…" He muttered, "I just said that by mistake. I was trying to avoid hurting his feelings, only I said something which probably hurt them a lot more!" Kiba's fist uncurled and went limp, and Akamaru followed his master's example, and relaxed slightly. "He's kinda good looking – when I get to see his face – and he's a surprisingly sensitive guy." This comment earned a snort from Kiba before he seemed to remember himself and stifled it.

"So, you're not straight?"

"No… It's just, I don't know if I can get close to him, physically. It's his destruction bugs, you know?" He demonstrated his feelings by wriggling his fingers in a parody of the bugs' legs. Kiba nodded slowly. "I dunno, they just gross me out. When Shino reaches for me, I lean away automatically, because I've seen them spill out of any pore in his body he chooses, through his eyelids and ears, and I bet they'd even come out from up his throat, and I just can't…!" He cut himself off with a shudder. "But anyway, what was supposed to not be a big deal has become a huge one!"

"I don't know how you can be so dumb…" Kiba muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead, "But," he continued louder, "You obviously need to make it up to him and hook up again. Obviously! Seriously, I've never seen him so stressed out about something. Not openly, anyway. You really messed him up good."

"Shut up, shut up!" Naruto moaned, clamping his hands over his ears. "What am I supposed to even do?!"

"I dunno! Buy him flowers or something? I don't date guys, I dunno how that stuff works," Kiba huffed. "But whatever it is you do, make things up with him, and tell the fucking truth! Fuck's _sake_…" And Naruto received a helpful boot to his back to get him going.

"Ow!" He stumbled forward and stood up, "I got it, I got it…" He shuffled a few feet in a direction before looking back at Kiba. "Where is he, anyway?"

"At our place," Kiba said as though it was obvious. When Naruto didn't move in any direction, he sighed and led Naruto up to the front door. "There we go." He then leaned across and knocked on the door for Naruto before running away. Akamaru chased his heels excitedly. Naruto gulped and looked back at the front door. Shino hadn't responded yet, so maybe he wouldn't, and Naruto could leave, and try again another day.

_No, bad idea. I'll stay here and wait for him, or Kiba'll kick my ass… Hell, and I wouldn't even blame him._ So Naruto was decided, and waited at the door for a little longer before knocking on it again. The second knock got a response, and the door opened a crack.

"Ahh, Shino, hey…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and offered a grin.

"Naruto," Shino's quiet voice floated out from under his ridiculously high collar. Naruto could see that his eyebrows were furrowed, but he couldn't tell if it was in confusion, anger, or some other emotion he hadn't thought of yet.

"Can I come in?" He asked hopefully. Shino hesitated before stepping back and letting the door fall open. Naruto entered and wiggled out of his sandals, shutting the door behind him. Shino led him to the kitchen and sat at the table. Naruto glanced around briefly; he'd never been there before, so he wanted to look around (though it wasn't exactly the right time for that).

Naruto sat opposite Shino and clasped the edges of the seat nervously. Shino looked at him expectantly (or, Naruto presumed he was expectant). There was a short pause of silence while Naruto ran over everything he'd talked about with Kiba in his head, and Shino didn't do or say anything. Once Naruto was ready, he took a deep breath.

"I lied!" He yelled, forehead smacking the table in a bow of apology. Shino jumped. Even though he didn't say anything, Naruto was sure he was waiting for further explanation. "I mean about being straight. I didn't mean it!" It might just be his imagination, but the silence that followed felt a lot heavier than before.

"…Explain."

Naruto lifted his head. "I mean… It just came out. I'm not straight! Or gay, for that matter. I mean, I don't really think about that stuff very much. Labels don't mean anything to me. I just like who I like, you know?"

"Are you implying that you just don't like me?" Shino asked, still in his damn quiet voice. Naruto supposed it was better than being yelled at, but he might have actually preferred yelling.

"No!" He practically howled, shaking his head vigorously. Shino waited for him to elaborate. "I like you! A lot!" He insisted.

"I see… Why did you lie? What is the real answer to my earlier question?"

"Eeh…" Naruto's hand made its way back to his neck, rubbing it nervously. "It's the bugs, ok? The thought of the bugs seriously creeps me out," He admitted. Then there was that damnable silence again when Naruto waited for Shino to say something.

"I see," Shino repeated, "In that case… It would be for the best for both of us if we no longer dated. Because-"

"No, wait!" Naruto cut in, shaking his head.

"Naruto. If you do not like the idea of the bugs, then it is impossible for us to date," Shino insisted quietly. "They live within me. I am their nest."

"Yeah, but—"

"Naruto. I cannot stand the idea that you look at me and think 'How can I kiss someone like him, who is home to the most disgusting creatures on the planet'!" So this was what Kiba meant about Shino being so visibly stressed out. Then he shook his head, and made an effort to calm down. "What I mean to say is, I don't want someone who does not accept my bugs, and you don't want someone who you are afraid of getting- …intimate with."

Naruto twiddled his fingers slightly. "But… I'm just overreacting. I mean… I like you! And you like me, so I should just get over it, and… Why not? I mean…" He trailed off and waited for Shino's response.

"I just told you why not. To explain further—!" Naruto cut him off by throwing himself across the table and yanking Shino over to him and crushing their mouths together. One hand supported him as he sprawled on the table, and the other was pulling the high collar Shino wore down to uncover his mouth properly. A muffled cheer from outside informed him that Kiba had been watching everything. _I should have known_.

Shino was stunned, red-faced, and wide-eyed (though you couldn't tell, apart from the eyebrows which shot up). Naruto prolonged the kiss (if it could be called that; it was rather violent and not really romantic) for as long as he could before it became too difficult to breathe, and he pulled back, releasing Shino and lying on the table, panting. "Fuck… Fuck you and your 'Let's see other people' speech…!"

"Naruto…" Shino was speechless (as he should be, that kiss was _amazing, _in Naruto's opinion). After a long silence, Shino tried again. "What about Hinata?" Not what Naruto was expecting.

"What about her?"

"She has a crush on you, you know."

"…She does?!" Naruto felt his jaw drop. Kiba's disbelieving laughter floated through the window, and Shino was staring at Naruto in a similar state (though less giggly).

"Holy shit, Naruto, didn't you know?!" Kiba called through his snickers, and Naruto was tempted to throw the window open and return the kick Kiba'd given him. "God, she's had the hots for you for as long as I've known her! And you didn't _know_? God, man!"

"Shut up! No, I didn't know, now get over it…" Naruto glowered at the table and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Maybe she can get over the crush and find someone else to like?" He so dearly hated new complications like this one. He just had his first kiss with another guy, and they were talking about a girl, and he was still trying to get over his dislike of the bugs, this whole thing was far too complicated. So instead of saying anything else, he flopped down on the table, face down, and let out a long sigh.

Kiba finally decided to let himself in, pointing out that it was his house too, and started making coffee. Shino tried to silently coax Naruto off the table.

"So, does this mean you guys are going out again? Or did you never break up in the first place? Either way, you're dating, right?"

"Yes, Kiba. This means we're dating," Shino confirmed, straightening out his collar and sitting Naruto in a chair. Naruto wrapped his arms around Shino's waist and stuck his nose on Shino's chest. The coat he wore smelled musty and it was nice, and the smell Naruto associated with with Shino.

"That's good to know," He muttered, muffled against the fabric's folds. Shino's face went pink. "I don't know how I ever thought I could handle this romance stuff. Kiba, go date Hinata, so she won't like me anymore."

"Hey- I don't- It doesn't work like that!" Kiba nearly dropped a mug, flustered. "Who says I even like her? Or any girls? Not saying I like guys though!"

"So what do you like, dogs? They make good friends, but I think anything more than that is illegal."

"Piss off!" Kiba picked all three mugs of coffee he'd prepared for everyone and stomped off to his room to spitefully have them all himself. Shino quietly watched him go.

"Aw, he took the coffee with him."

"You can have coffee whenever you like," Shino murmured, reaching down to grab Naruto's hand. Naruto looked up at him. Shino's face was slowly going red. "Naruto. I'm pleased that we can still be partners. Why? Because I've never felt the same way about another being before."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "You didn't have to explain why. But thank you, you're not so bad yourself. Sorry I was such a prat."

In response, Shino leaned down and kissed Naruto again, properly this time.

**THE END**

**A/N – Boy, I like this pairing! It doesn't have enough fics, either, so I decided to contribute. I hope I contributed well and that you enjoyed. This thing took me ages and ages to write because I was writing it solely on the school computers in my free time (which had been noticeably lacking while I was working on a Media Studies project) and sometimes when I should have been using my free time for homework...**

**So while this didn't have a particular time it took place, (careful of spoilers, now) it was obviously before Pain's attack on Konoha, because Hinata confessed then. Unless Naruto was temporarily deaf while she was giving that speech, because he didn't give her any sort of **_**response**_**.**

**ALSO WOOPS I GOT THE LANGUAGE WRONG, but it's fixed now. (Drop down menus, my Achilles heel…)**


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